Hero of Justice
by ShikiR
Summary: Shirou Emiya was rather disappointed that his magic powers never really went anywhere. That didn't mean he wouldn't still fight for a world where all people would be safe, though he would do it from behind a bench, with a pin on his lapel.
1. Prosecutor Emiya (Turnabout Double)

**APRIL 11, 2014 10:22 AM**

**LOS ANGELES DISTRICT COURT**

**MAIN LOBBY**

"Miss Fey."

A man walked up to her, dressed in a plain black suit. Even his tie was nondescript - the only splash of color he had was his hair. Orange, with a single lock of white. He was perhaps four or five years older than her, if he had to guess.

"Good morning," she greeted. She didn't quite know who the man was, but politeness usually was a good strategy.  
"Good morning," he replied with a soft smile and a nod. "You're the attorney for the defendant, Mr. Wright, I understand?" She nodded. "A pleasure to meet you, then. I'm going to be prosecuting this case. I'm-"

He was cut off by a shout from the bailiff. "Defense and Prosecution to their lobbies!"

"I'll see you in court, then, Miss Fey," he turned to her boss standing beside her, "Mr. Grossberg. Good luck."

He turned, and practically vanished into the crowd of people.

* * *

**APRIL 11, 2014 10:30 AM**

**LOS ANGELES DISTRICT COURT**

**COURTROOM NO. 2**

The gavel rang through the courtroom, banishing any vestiges of thoughts Mia had of the outside world. She glanced at Phoenix, who was looking down at his feet.

She'd get him a not-guilty, of that she was certain.

"The court convenes for the trial of Phoenix Wright in the murder of Doug Swallow. Is the Prosecution ready?"

The redheaded man nodded. "Yes, Your Honor."

"And the Defense?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

The judge nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then, Mr. Emiya, you may begin."  
_Emiya_, huh? She quickly wrote that down – it was always wise to have a personal copy of the Court Record, somebody at law school had mentioned. The name was Japanese, though that didn't mean much; she wasn't particularly Japanese herself, though her last name was too.

"Thank you, Your Honor. The Prosecution charges Mr. Phoenix Wright, the defendant, with involuntary manslaughter." _The prosecutor...doesn't think it was intentional? Huh._"At 3:05 PM, on April the Ninth, college student Doug Swallow was killed on the campus of his college, Ivy University. The cause of death is electrocution; the Prosecution submits this autopsy to the court."

Mia glanced over the autopsy; it was identical to the one she already had, thankfully.

"The murder weapon was a dangling electrical cable. It was raining at the time, which the coroner noted likely aided in electrocution - water is highly conductive, as you may know, Your Honor. The cable had broken at 2:50 PM, as can be attested by several students in the nearby lab, whose machines all suddenly lost power, including a clock. They were on the high-voltage circuit of the broken wire.

"In any case, a crowd of students saw Mr. Wright leaving the scene of the crime around 3:10 PM. This led to his subsequent arrest. On top of this, the victim was found holding a bottle of 'Coldkiller X,' a cold medication, which was found with Mr. Wright's fingerprints," Prosecutor Emiya finished.

"Understood. And how does the Prosecution believe the murder happened?" replied the judge.

"At around 3:00 PM, Mr. Swallow and Mr. Wright met outside near the pole the wire was dangling from, presumably with no knowledge of it. They had some kind of argument, and Mr. Wright shoved Mr. Swallow, who stumbled into the dangling line, causing him to be electrocuted. While being shoved, Mr. Swallow must have grabbed the pills."

Next to her, Grossberg rubbed his chin, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Something's...missing, I think."

Something missing? It did feel off...

Oh.

**OBJECTION!**

"Mr. Emiya...you claim that Mr. Swallow and my client had an argument, is that correct?"

"It is, Miss Fey."

She nodded. "The rest is clearly circumstantial evidence without that. Do you have any proof of it?"

The judge nodded. "The Defense makes a fair point, Prosecutor. Do you have proof?"

Mr. Emiya shook his head. "No. There were no video cameras and no photographs, unfortunately. However, in lieu of that, the Prosecution calls forth its first witness, to substantiate its claim."

"Very well then, Mr. Emiya. Bailiff!"

The doors opened, and Mia's lips curved slightly into a frown. It was her.

"Dollie!" It was the first thing she'd heard out of her client in the courtroom - which was fair, they had just started. Still...it was worrying. Dahlia Hawthorn was too suspicious for her client's excited response to be a good thing. The bailiffs, at least, made sure to shut him up.

Her heels clacked against the floor as she walked up, as pretty as a Disney Princess. "Oh, how lovely!" somebody exclaimed in the audience, and she could see the judge's eyes glazed over.

"Witness. Please state your name and occupation."

She smiled, softly, and Mia struggled not to grind her teeth. "Dahlia Hawthorne. I'm a student at Ivy University - I study literature."

"Thank you. Can you testify as to why Mr. Swallow and Mr. Wright might fight?"

"If...you want me to..."

**WITNESS TESTIMONY**

_–__Dougie and Feenie–_

"I'm currently dating Feenie."

"A little over half a year ago, however, I was dating...Dougie."

"I can't believe they'd fight, though!"

"Neither of them would hurt a fly!"

"But...one could have gotten jealous, I guess."

"Fair enough," replied the judge. "There's a strong reason for the two to argue; the defendant resorted to violence as things got heated, and that tragically led to Mr. Swallow's life. A textbook involuntary manslaughter case. Motive, events, and a fair amount of proof has been established. I see no reason to waste any more time."

What? Wait! "Hold on, Your Honor. The Defense has a right to cross-examine the witness." This could mean eight years in prison! ...that wasn't her speaking, she belatedly realized.

"That...is true, Mr. Emiya. Alright, Miss Fey?"

"Thank you, Your Honor." She turned to Dahlia.

**CROSS-EXAMINATION**

"I'm currently dating Feenie."

**HOLD IT!**

"Miss Hawthorne, who is 'Feenie'?"

"Phoenix. The defendant," replied Dahlia.

"And this is a pet name you gave him?"

She nodded. "Yes, several months ago."

"...Fair enough."

"A little over half a year ago, however, I was dating...Dougie."  
**HOLD IT!**  
"'A little over half a year ago,'" echoed Mia. "How long, precisely?"  
"I don't recall the exact date, but...eight or nine months ago?"  
"–but I do!" jutted in, uh, Wry? That was his name, right?  
"Silence, defendant! Or you will be held in contempt of court!"  
That question would have to wait, then. But why was Dahlia not telling? Mia couldn't believe Dahila would just forget.  
"Anyway..." said Dahlia.

"I can't believe they'd fight, though!"  
**HOLD IT!**  
"Why not?" Mia asked.  
"Well..."

"Neither of them would hurt a fly!"  
**HOLD IT!**  
"They wouldn't even swat a _fly_?"  
Next to her, Grossberg coughed. "I think it may...be an idiom."  
"Oh...uh, right. Go on, witness."

"But...one could have gotten jealous, I guess."  
**HOLD IT!**  
"Which one? Was one more likely to be jealous than the other?"  
"Miss Fey, they screen science majors at Ivy University, such as Mr. Swallow, for tendency towards violence - background checks, mostly of behavior in school," interrupted the prosecutor before Dahlia could speak. "The school claims that it prevents 'dangerous elements' from accessing the more easily misused things on the campus - toxins, high-voltage machinery, and the like." His furrowed brow showed his opinion of the debatably legal policy. "I submit a relevant excerpt from the school's policy guidebook."  
"Accepted into evidence, Mr. Emiya. The reasonable conclusion, then, is that Mr. Swallow was far less likely to initiate violence, which would make this only a tragic accident, rather than involuntary manslaughter. Any objections, Miss Fey...?"  
Any objections...? Well, obviously. If that stood, her client was toast. But what? "Yes, Your Honor. Or...well, does the witness corroborate this? Witness, would you agree that the defendant is far more likely to initiate violence than the victim?"  
Dahlia looked down at the witness' stand, her eyes shadowed. "...yes."  
"Waaaah...!" She glanced over at her client, whose eyes were wide. "D-D-Dollie...?"  
"Your Honor!" Mia spoke before Wry could get a chance to say any more. "I request the witness further testify on the matter of her relationship with the defendant, since it has clear relevancy to the case at hand."  
"That's a reasonable request. Witness?"  
Dahlia nodded slowly. "Alright, Your Honor..."

**WITNESS TESTIMONY**  
_–__Feenie and I–_

"As I said, we met about eight or nine months ago."  
"We started dating almost immediately after we met."  
"He's a very sweet guy, but..."  
"He's just...very passionate, you know?"  
"I could see things getting out of hand if Dougie accidentally said the wrong thing."

"Thank you, witness. Your cross-examination, defense?"  
"Yes, Your Honor."

**CROSS-EXAMINATION**

"As I said, we met about eight or nine months ago."  
**HOLD IT!**  
"Your Honor, the witness seems to be fairly unsure of when they started dating, which seems unusual."  
The judge hummed. "I suppose so, but that seems irrelevant."  
"Perhaps, but I would like to know the exact date." Eight months ago - it was definitely eight, not nine, she could feel it - and Dahlia Hawthorne couldn't possibly be a coincidence. She refused to believe it.  
"I'm sorry, but I don't remember it exactly," said Hawthorne.  
The judge shrugged. "I'm sorry, Miss Fey. It's lost to the mists of time."  
"Not precisely," Mr. Emiya interjected. "If you recall, Your Honor, the defendant rather vocally noted he remembered."  
"That...is true. But, Mr. Emiya..."  
The red-haired man shrugged. "I'm curious as to where Miss Fey is going with this."  
"Very well, then. Shall he testify?"  
"I am not prepared to call up Mr. Wright to testify as of yet, Your Honor," Emiya noted.  
"Perhaps it is best, then, that we have a short recess, so as to allow the defendant to talk to the both of you about it, if that is reasonable to the both of you?" Mia nodded, as did the prosecutor. "Court will resume in precisely ten minutes. Adjourned!"

* * *

**APRIL 11, 2014 10:45 AM  
LOS ANGELES DISTRICT COURT  
DEFENDANT LOBBY NO. 2**

Mia had to practically drag her client out of the courtroom. The kid looked shellshocked. His girlfriend had turned on her. A few moments after they left the room, though, his lips turned up. "It's fine – Dollie just wants to make sure justice is served. And she's not...precisely wrong, obviously. Even if it wasn't me. I know she'll be just as happy as I am when you get me off, Miss!" Wry's mumbling got louder and louder, before Emiya walked in.  
"Miss Fey, defendant."  
"Mr. Emiya, right?" she asked.  
"Shirou Emiya, yes. Forgive me for rushing off, earlier."  
She shook her head. "No offense taken."  
"I'll simply be watching, to make sure no information is suppressed, Miss Fey. The time for that was in the detention center."  
"Understood," Mia replied, before turning back to Phoenix. "Anyway, what day did you meet Dahlia Hawthorne?"  
"August the 27th!"  
She was right. It couldn't be a coincidence. "You're sure?"  
"Absolutely! I'd never forget the day I met my Dollie!"  
"Do you...have any proof? A timestamped picture, maybe?"  
"I...don't think so. But you probably do."  
"Me?" She raised an eyebrow.  
"No, uh, Mr..." Emiya pointed at himself, a smile pulling at the ends of his mouth, and her client nodded. "Yeah, you. You run this place, right?"  
"'This place'? You mean, the courthouse?" He nodded. "I don't, but if there is documentation here, I can subponea it. Were you spectating a trial?" Oh. That was true - anybody who entered the courtroom was recorded, for security!  
"No, I was down in the library downstairs. But I had to present my student ID to get in, and they scanned it."  
"I'll be accessing that, then. There is strong corroborating evidence that you two met that particular day, if that's the case. That's pretty open-and-shut, and thus we've basically covered what we came to talk about...but why was Miss Hawthorne here? Do you know?" Belatedly, he frowned. "Forgive me, Miss Fey."  
She shook her head. "No, it's a reasonable question. I think I have the answer, actually..."  
"And you're not going to tell me, I suppose?"  
She nodded, a soft smile on her face. "Guilty as charged."  
"That is your right. I wonder where you're going with this, though, Miss Fey. I fail to see the relevance."  
She shrugged. "You'll see." She stood up, and gave Wry a look. "Let's head back."  
"See you in a few minutes, then, Miss Fey. Good luck, once again, though you seem not to need it." He turned, and left the room by the same door he'd entered.  
Did Grossberg just not follow her? Where was he?

* * *

**APRIL 11, 2014 10:50 AM  
LOS ANGELES DISTRICT COURT  
COURTROOM NO. 2**

"The trial has resumed for the trial of Mr. Phoenix Wright. Mr. Emiya, would you like to discuss what occurred?"  
"I would, Your Honor. I present to the court, the record of all people who entered the courtroom library on August 27 of 2013." Out of the corner of her eye, Mia could see Dahlia stiffen, and she struggled to contain her smirk.  
"As you may note, Phoenix Wright entered the library at 2:05 PM. Miss Hawthorne entered about twenty minutes later, at 2:27 PM. The time of leaving is not recorded, but neither checked out any books, so it is reasonable to assume that Mr. Wright was there for at least the time until Miss Hawthorne entered. Very few short books exist in that library, as you might guess. This corroborates the witness' claim that they met there on August 27."  
"Understood," nodded the judge. "I think that is a fair assumption. Your point, though, Mr. Emiya?"  
He shrugged. "I have no idea. I was still abroad at the time, in fact. Miss Fey?"  
She smiled. "Firstly, I would like to introduce two individuals to this court. One is Mr. Diego Armando, a former attorney at Grossberg Law Offices. Currently, Mr. Armando is in a local hospital, under long-term care. He has been unconscious for the last eight months.  
"Secondly, Miss Melissa Foster. She is an orphan and was a witness in a recent trial."  
I would like to call the court's attention to a trial on February 16 of last year. It was the trial of Terry Fawles."  
"Miss Fey!" Grossberg muttered. "I understand now. Be careful."  
She nodded to him. It was checkmate, however. "The prosecutor was Mr. Miles Edgeworth, and the defense was myself and Mr. Armando. During the trial, Miss Foster had a secret revealed. Her real name...Dahlia Hawthorne."  
"A pseudonym?"  
She shook her head. "No, she had faked her death some years before, and taken a new name." Muttering began in the audience, before the judge slammed his gavel.  
"How unusual. This is all on record?"  
"It is."  
"Objection, Your Honor. This case is unrelated, and therefore serves only to cast suspicion on the witness' testimony," interrupted Emiya.  
"Objection sustained. That is true, Miss Fey. Evidence without an established connection, including court cases, is invalid."  
"Right..." She paused momentarily, to collect her thoughts. "But there is a connection. Please bear with me."  
"...alright, continue," said the judge.  
"The case ended inconclusively, with the suicide of Mr. Fawles." Emiya's eyes widened. "Myself and Mr. Armando, however, were not satisfied. It seemed likely that Mr. Fawles was not guilty, but he had ended his life before any resolution could be found."  
"How tragic."  
She nodded. "So we continued to investigate; we researched Fawles' first trial, and we would talk to the people involved. Particularly, we spoke to Miss Hawthorne. In the lunch room of this building, Mr. Armando and Miss Hawthorne met last August."  
"The twenty-seventh?" asked the prosecutor.  
"Exactly. They were meeting over a late lunch, and so the room was empty at the time, other than them. The police were called at 2:37, when a member of the janitor staff saw Mr. Armando collapsed over the table. Poison was found in his blood. Short-acting; it couldn't have been drank more than fifteen minutes before the call."  
"And Miss Hawthorne was held in suspicion, I assume?"  
"That's correct, Your Honor. However, they couldn't find any poison on her, and there was no reason to assume she'd left the room; the janitor had seen her, apparently shellshocked."  
"And you believe...?"  
"That now we have evidence that Miss Hawthorne would indeed have access to such a poison!"  
"I fail to follow your logic, Miss Fey," began Mr. Emiya. "I presume that it's evidence from this case?"  
"It is."  
She had to get this right. If she failed, Hawthorne would walk free once again, and she couldn't permit that.  
**TAKE THAT!**  
"Doug Swallow was a pharmacology student, correct?"  
"Yes...?"  
**TAKE THAT!**  
She held up the excerpt from the guidebook.  
"Moreover, at Ivy University, pharmacology majors are screened to ensure their access to toxic substances."  
"You mean to imply...?"  
"That the toxin that poisoned Diego Armando was obtained by Dahlia Hawthorne through Mr. Swallow! Miss Hawthorne has testified that she had a relationship with somebody who could get her such a material, and obviously she would want to distance herself from him as soon as possible after the poison killed someone. Dating the defendant, who she believes would be likely to be very protective of her, would be a perfect cover-up!"  
"Supposing that's true, Miss Fey...wouldn't that make it likely that your client killed Mr. Swallow to make sure his girlfriend's secret wasn't revealed?" asked Emiya.  
It...would. It _would_. That would be why Mr. Grossberg told her to be careful.  
She'd painted herself into a corner.  
She knew her client didn't do it, that was clear enough. It didn't fit with his character, and anyway all the evidence was circumstantial...except for that medicine bottle.  
Why would Hawthorne want to frame Wry? 'Cause Mia didn't believe for a second that Dahlia actually cared for him. She used Terry Fawles, she'd used Doug Swallow, she'd have used Phoenix Wright in a heartbeat. He had to have found out something suspicious. Something that could lead to her conviction. But...it couldn't be something he knew was illegal.  
And it was on the day of the poisoning...?  
Bluff. She had to bluff. Push off the verdict; she needed more time.  
"Doesn't all the evidence point towards Mr. Swallow's death being accidental, as you noted...?"  
The judges eyes hardened. "Enough, Miss Fey. It's become abundantly clear that this was a waste of time."  
"Actually, Your Honor, she's raised some valid suspicions. There's no more to find here, I think, but I'll maintain my subpoena on Miss Hawthorne."  
"Are you sure, Mr. Emiya? I can't say I see your reasoning."  
"I am."  
The judge frowned. "Proceed."  
"Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution calls Mr. Phoenix Wright, the defendant, to the stand."

_To be continued._


	2. Turnabout Double - Trial Latter

**APRIL 11, 2014 11:00 AM**

**LOS ANGELES DISTRICT COURT**

**COURTROOM 3**

"**OBJECTION!"**

Shirou's eyes widened. That voice was...Mia Fey's?

"On behalf of my client, I refuse the Prosecution's call for a testimony on the events of the murder of Doug Swallow."

The judge frowned. "Miss Fey, are you quite sure? The evidence is certainly in favor of the Prosecution, and your accusation was entirely baseless."

"...I am, Your Honor."

"And do you accept this, Mr. Wright?"

Shirou raised a slight eyebrow. Why would the defendant contradict his attorney? It was a silly que-

"No, Your Honor!"

Shirou blinked, as Fey looked taken aback. "Mr. Wright...?" she muttered.

"Mr, uh, Emiya?" Wright said, rather than respond to her.

"Yes, defendant?"

"Is Dollie going to go under more scrutiny and investigation?"

Shirou pursed his lips. It was fair to say he didn't trust the woman. "It is likely, yes."

"Then I want to testify! If it can help exonerate my Dollie!"

The judge hummed. "So, you are not exercising your right not to testify?"

Wright shook his head. "I'm not."

"Alright, then. Bailiff?" The bailiff led Wright out of the defendant's seat and to the witness stand. "Mr. Emiya...?"

"Yes, Your Honor." He turned to the man. "Defendant, your name and occupation."

"I'm Phoenix Wright, and I'm...uh, a suspect?"

The corner of Shirou's mouth turned up. "Before you were arrested, Mr. Wright."

"Oh! I'm a student at Ivy University...I'm a art major, but I'm also taking law classes."

The judge nodded. "It's good to see young people taking an interest in the law." Sometimes, the judge's obliviousness amazed even him, and Shirou *_knew_* he was practically blind socially. Issei told him as much a while back.

Issei Ryuudou had only become more blunt as they'd gotten older, if their occasional international call was any indication.

"Thank you, Mr. Wright. Now, you said you wanted to speak to exonerate Miss Dahlia Hawthorne?"

The defendant nodded, before sneezing. "My Dollie would never murder anyone, much less with poison!"

"Understood." He would need the report for that day, then. He ripped a paper from his notes, and quickly scratched out a request. It was recent enough that there should still be a copy in the courthouse. He handed it to an assistant bailiff, then turned back to the defendant. "Then, would you testify on the first time you met, August 27?" asked Shirou. "If it pleases the court, of course." The judge nodded in assent.

**WITNESS TESTIMONY**

-_Our First Meeting-_

"It was like an angel appeared from nowhere!"

"I was looking through the books, when suddenly she tapped me on the shoulder."

"I turned around, and Dollie was staring up at me."

"We stared into each other's eyes for a while."

"Then she reached up, put the necklace around my neck, and smiled. 'You look perfect,' she said."

"Then we talked for a little while, and I fell in love."

Shirou nodded. "Alright, I see no problem with that." It was a little bit odd, sure, but teenagers did weird things because of romance. A certain seaweed-head came to mind.

"Indeed," said the judge. "Miss Fey, your cross-examination? And, be careful. You have already made it abundantly clear to this court that you dislike Miss Hawthorne."

"...yes, Your Honor."

**CROSS-EXAMINATION**

_-Our First Meeting_-

"It was like an angel appeared from nowhere!"

**"HOLD IT!"**

Mia Fey rubbed her chin. "I can take this to mean you didn't notice her come in?"

Wright nodded. "I didn't hear anything."

"Isn't that a bit odd? Libraries are fairly quiet places."

"Miss Hawthorne doesn't strike me as a terribly loud person, Miss Fey," answered Shirou. "I think it more likely that the defendant was simply not paying attention."

Wright nodded. "Pretty much. After all..."

"I was looking through the books, when suddenly she tapped me on the shoulder."

**"****HOLD IT!"**

"Without any warning?"

**"OBJECTION**!**"**

"Miss Fey," Shirou interrupted, before Wright could speak. "Miss Hawthorne being suspicious has already been established. You successfully established that earlier. You're just berating the witness now. If you have evidence, please present it."

Marvin Grossberg frowned, clearly cross, but said nothing.

"...I understand, Mr. Emiya." The woman seemed to take the reprimand with...well, more grace than he had expected, considering. What was she thinking?

"I turned around, and Dollie was staring up at me."

"We stared into each other's eyes for a while."

**"****HOLD IT!"**

"How long was 'a while'?"

Wright frowned. "A minute?"

The woman nodded. "Understood." She wrote something down, though Shirou was far enough away that he couldn't have made it out even if he wanted to.

"Then she reached up, put the necklace around my neck, and smiled. 'You look perfect,' she said."

"Then we talked for a little while, and I fell in love."

**"****HOLD IT!"**

"How long did the two of you talk for?"

The man sneezed. "...ten minutes?"

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "You sound unsure."

"It...it was at least ten minutes."

Fey glanced up at the judge. "Could this be added to his testimony?"

The judge frowned in response. "Are you quite sure this has value, Miss Fey? Value that can be backed with _evidence_?"

The corners of her mouth turned up. "I'm sure, Your Honor."

Shirou spared a glance at the witness, who was white as snow.

"We talked for at least ten minutes."

**"OBJECTION!"**

"That, Mr. Wright, is _impossible._" said Mia Fey, a triumphant smile on her face.

"...what...?" mumbled the defendant.

"Mr. Emiya, could you have the police report for the poisoning incident brought in?"

He'd seen _that_ coming. "It has already been requested. It should be just a minute. Perhaps Miss Fey could explain, and we will confirm if the report matches her claims, Your Honor?"

"...that is acceptable. But beware, Miss Fey, if this accusation is as baseless as the last, you _will_ be penalized."

"I understand, Your Honor." She picked up a piece of paper, presumably from her notes, and glanced at it. "The defendant testified that Miss Hawthorne and he interacted for at least eleven minutes, one of staring 'into each other's eyes' and at least ten of talking. This would mean, based on the library record, that Dahlia Hawthorne could not possibly have left the library before 2:38."

As if to punctuate the woman's statement, the bailiff came back in, two copies of the record in hand. "I submit this record to the court, Your Honor." The judge nodded as the bailiff walked over to the defense's side, handing Fey a copy.

"Accepted into evidence."

She took a glance at it, and her smile grew. "As this report states, the janitor saw Miss Hawthorne at the table with the unconscious Armando. When he called - at _2:37 PM!_ Mr. Wright! She could not possibly have traveled _backwards in time! _Your Honor! This is an undeniable contradiction!"

Shirou frowned. It did seem contradictory - and, moreover, extremely odd. "The time of the call is a matter of public record, and I won't dispute that - the police department has call times recorded automatically. But Mr. Wright's numbers were clearly unsure. It seems ludicrous to find a single minute grounds for holding somebody under suspicion."

The woman smirked, and pushed her hair out of the way of her face. "Perhaps, Mr. Emiya, but would you dispute that the witness could not be more off than...say, two minutes?"

Shirou nodded slowly. "That seems reasonable."

"Then, Miss Hawthorne would have to sprint out of the library, across the basement floor, up the steps, and into the lunch room, and yet be completely normal-looking in a _single minute_. That is completely impossible!"

"That...that's a fair point, Miss Fey!" exclaimed the judge. "What does this mean?"

"It means the defendant is lying."

"Mr. Wright! Do you understand you are under oath? You have just committed perjury!" The judge looked genuinely puzzled.

"But...but...Dollie! Why are you all attacking Dollie? She'd never murder anyone!"

"Perhaps, Mr. Wright," said Shirou. "But you are doing her no favors by lying." He sighed. "You claimed you're studying law at Ivy University, correct?"

"...yes?"

"Then you should understand the most fundamental job of a lawyer - defense or prosecution."

"To...bring about justice?"

He nodded. "My job...Miss Fey's job...we are here to ensure justice. And we have one tool with which to do so - the truth. If Miss Hawthorne is innocent...the truth, and _only _the truth, will set her free."

Phoenix Wright was silent. "...I refuse to testify."

The judge frowned. "That is your right." He sighed. "Clearly, Miss Fey's arguments have some merit. Mr. Emiya...do you have any input?"

"...Dahlia Hawthorne is too suspicious, I think. I will not be indicting her, certainly, but..."

"I understand." The judge nodded. "There is simply not enough evidence - in any fashion. I cannot in good conscience give a verdict with so much ambiguity. Mr. Emiya, Miss Fey, please investigate."

"Understood," said Shirou.

"Understood, Your Honor."

"Very well. Then, court shall reconvene for the trial of Mr. Phoenix Wright tomorrow. Dismissed!" He slammed down his gavel.

* * *

**APRIL 11, 2014 6:25 PM**

**IVY UNIVERSITY**

**PHARMACOLOGY BUILDINGS**

"Detective Skye." Shirou walked up behind the woman, who turned. Lana Skye. Probably the best detective on the force; he'd been lucky enough to work with the woman on several cases, though this was the first murder.

"Sir. You requested my presence?"

Shirou nodded. "I did...does anything seem odd to you about this case?"

She gave him a dry look. "I see Courtroom 3 was put to good use. Did you not hear about my suspicions earlier?"

"Your...suspicions?"

"I sent a memo to Payne, which he should have passed on when you were transferred to the case."

"Oh." Shirou nodded. "That would explain it. This is *_Winston Payne_* we're talking about."

"...did he seriously get angry at you because you...stole a rookie trial?"

"It's certainly in character." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what did it say?"

"There was essentially no evidence."

Shirou nodded. "I noticed. Why weren't there any crime scene photos?"

"There _were_. I submitted them to forensics for approval..."

"Then why didn't I receive them?"

"I don't know. I noticed they weren't entered into record this morning, but..."

"No time?" he asked. She nodded. "Good thing the trial was suspended, then."

"I have backups; I'll get them printed and get them to you when I can."

He smiled, rather relieved. Prosecuting without any evidence was...not something he enjoyed making a habit of. "Thanks, detective."

She smiled. "Of course, sir. And let me handle figuring out what happened with forensics. Just...just in case."

"I appreciate the concern. Anyway...what about physical evidence? All I received was the cold medicine and a record of the broken power line." He had only found out the rulebook excerpt due to some idle curiosity about the high-voltage lines and the victim's background.

"That's all we have."

"...what?"

"Either the killer cleared the evidence, or just didn't leave any. Electrocution is an...elegant...weapon, to say the least."

"Why did this case go to trial, then? Sure, a conviction could be obtained on this evidence..."

"That's what Damon said. It was enough for a conviction." Damon Gant, presumably - Head of Detectives. It was rare indeed when the Prosecutor's office refused to prosecute a crime once submitted by the police force, and Gant had a large degree of liberty to do so.

"...but not enough for justice!"

"Well, at least a verdict wasn't handed down."

"That's true." Thank God he had listened to his gut and gave Fey...perhaps more slack than she entirely deserved. He didn't approve of her clear enmity towards Hawthorne – it was unbefitting of a lawyer – but she was definitely also fighting to make sure her client got a just verdict, and he could respect that.

He'd told the defendant as much.

"Are the pictures conclusive?" he asked.

She shook her head. "There's a picture of the dead body lying underneath the cable, and a picture of his hand clutched around the medicine bottle."

He sighed. "No conclusive evidence, then."

"None that I noticed."

"...do you think it was Wright?"

She frowned. "I have my doubts. But...who else?" So she hadn't seen the record of today's trial.

He skimmed through his copy of the court record. "There's a full ten minutes between the outage and the death. He could've simply walked into the broken cable."

"Sir, do you _really_ believe that?"

He shook his head. "Of course not, but...it's plausible enough. Reasonable doubt goes a long way."

She sighed. "Is it too much to ask for a simple, clear-cut homicide case?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You'd be out of a job, Cart Vendor Skye."

She glared in response, but Shirou could see the smile tugging at the ends of her mouth. She wasn't a great liar.

All of the sudden, his phone rang. "How much do you want to bet this is connected to the case?" he asked as he pulled out the phone.

"No bet."

He pressed a button on his old brick of a phone and held it up to his ear. "Could I talk to Prosecutor Shirou Emiya?" asked a familiar female voice.

"Speaking. May I ask who this is?"

"...I'm Dahlia Hawthorne, from earlier. There's...there's something about the case I need to talk to you about..."

"That you couldn't mention in court?"

"I...didn't really want to...and it didn't come up."

He frowned. "I understand. Where would you like me to meet you?"

"Um...there's a tea shop a few blocks off campus...it's usually pretty empty this time of day...would that work?"

"That would be fine, Miss Hawthorne. Could I have the name?" She told him the name - "Wonders of the Orient," which Shirou found vaguely offensive. "Very well. I'll see you at seven, Miss Hawthorne." He hung up, and sighed.

"There's nothing else here?"

She shook her head. "I've scoured every inch."

"Then, could I ask you to accompany me? I'd like a witness, if nothing else."

"I hope you don't expect a murder."

"I hope there isn't one. But..." He sighed. "Better safe than sorry. And...Dahlia Hawthorne is definitely suspicious."

"Alright, then. But you're paying."

"I'll bill the chief prosecutor. He can afford it."

* * *

**APRIL 11, 2014 7:00 PM**

**IVY UNIVERSITY**

**WONDERS OF THE ORIENT**

"Miss Hawthorne." When he and Skye entered the tea shop - a quiet little hole-in-the-wall place - Dahlia Hawthorne was already sitting. She glanced up, and her brow furrowed in clear concern. "This is Detective Lana Skye, the detective on this case. She'll be witnessing, if that's okay?"

The young redhead was silent for a moment, before nodding. "Alright. It's nice to meet you, detective."

"And you, Miss Hawthorne."

Shirou and Lana sat down, and he looked the woman straight in the eyes. "So, what is it you needed to tell me...?"

"Well...you need some context. Firstly, what do you know about the Kurain School of Channeling?"

More than he could admit, less than he'd like. "It's some kind of religious tradition, right?" he lied.

"Not...exactly. It's a family tradition...an ability of the Fey family. The Fey women, specifically." Well. That was news to him. "They can...summon spirits."

"As in, the dead?" asked Lana, and Hawthorne nodded. "How fascinating." Her voice was more than a little bit skeptical.

"My...mother was a Fey. She was going to be the Master of the school, actually."

"'Going to be'?" he echoed.

"She was swapped out, for her younger sister...Mia Fey's mother."

So Hawthorne and Fey were cousins? How bizarre.

"So my father divorced her, and kept custody of me and my sister."

Shirou frowned. "This would be...Valerie Hawthorne, the victim in the Terry Fawles trial?" He'd read up on it almost immediately; it clearly had some relevance.

But she shook her head. "No...she was my sister from a previous marriage."

"But...you have no other siblings on record."

"My father abandoned a little girl at Hazakura Temple, northwest of the city. Three of us were too many, I suppose," she almost spat, and his eyes widened. That was the first show of anything other than demure quietness he'd seen from Hawthorne.

"So he abandoned your sister at this temple?"

"Well...not exactly..." He glanced at Skye, who looked just as nonplussed as he felt. "Actually..." She looked down. "He abandoned _me_...I'm not Dahlia Hawthorne...I'm her sister." She put her head in her hands, before glancing up, her eyes wet with tears. "And she tried to frame me and poor Phoenix for murder!"

_To be continued._


	3. Turnabout Double - Investigations

**APRIL 11, 2014 4:30 PM**

**IVY UNIVERSITY**

**PHARMACOLOGY BUILDINGS**

"You think she's suspicious?"

Lana gave him a look. "No, of course not. Why would anybody involved in a murder case be suspicious?"

"...it was a rhetorical question."

"I gathered. What do you intend to do?"

Shirou sighed. "We have twins, who are identical other than that one has hair dye. Not exactly a reliable trait. One is probably involved in the murder, and is trying to frame the other. I can't see the other one willingly calling herself Dahlia Hawthorne, whether or not it's true, since Dahlia has a...sketchy background."

Lana blinked. "Wait, you didn't mention that."

"I didn't? Well, long story short, two attorneys from Grossberg Law Offices were defending a client, a man named Terry Fawles."

"I remember that case. I was a newbie detective at the time, so I helped with the arrest."

"No kidding? Huh. Well, the principal witness was a woman named Melissa Foster; apparently Dahlia Hawthorne had faked her death. The case ended tragically, with Fawles' suicide, and the record was mostly buried. Judge sealed it, apparently."

"Because of the death?"

He nodded. "Anyway, one of the lawyers was poisoned in the courthouse last August, and Hawthorne was the main suspect. Not enough evidence to convict, though."

Lana nodded, clearly understanding his logic. "So you think that Dahlia wants to use this murder to more conclusively fake her death? To escape from her criminal record?"

"Exactly. It's the only motive that makes sense."

Her brows furrowed, and she bit her thumb. "Then how is Wright involved?"

"That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?" He sighed. "I don't think he was framed. If Dahlia did it all herself, she wouldn't have had enough time to get rid of all the evidence and escape from the scene of the crime before Wright returned."

"So either he's an accomplice or a murderer?"

Shirou shook his head. "No, probably just an accomplice. I could see Hawthorne playing the victim enough to get him to support her when she 'gives Swallow his due for his cruelty,'" he said, using air quotes rather dramatically. "He's a bit of a lovestruck fool."

She tilted her head, resting it on her left pointer finger. It was a surprisingly cute action for the usually rather dignified detective, Shirou noted. "But we have no idea what Dahlia Hawthorne's like. Sure, this girl is demure and charming...but is this Dahlia Hawthorne?"

Shirou's eyes widened. "Ngah..." he groaned. "You're absolutely right." He sighed. "There's only one person who knows what Dahlia Hawthorne is really like."

"The other defense attorney?"

Shirou nodded. "The extraordinarily biased Mia Fey."

Lana stared for a minute, before reaching up and massaging the bridge of her nose. "Mia's a part of this?" She blinked. "What am I saying, of course Mia's a part of this."

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "You know Mia Fey?"

She nodded. "We were friends at law school. She was my underclassman, and we became friends."

Shirou had a brief image of Mia Fey with Sakura's hair color, shyly blushing as she talked to "Lana-senpai." It was...decidedly horrifying. He shook his head to clear it of the image. "In any case, Fey is too biased; frankly, I just can't trust that she's going to tell the truth about who's who - too much of a conflict of interest."

"How do you expect to distinguish them, then?"

He sighed. "There's two ways I can think of. Get one to confess, which is unlikely, or find some kind of distinguishing evidence."

"Which is even less likely." She glanced at the cordoned off area that surrounded the scene of death. "How did Dahlia and Wright even destroy the evidence?"

"I think it's more likely they hid it, but God only knows how."

"How long would they have had to hide the evidence?"

"Ten, fifteen minutes."

"So...since at least Wright would have to get back here in time, they couldn't have hid it more than six minutes' walk?"

"Could you cover that?"

She nodded. "I've only got a couple officers, so it'll take a while, but I should be able to find anything in the area."

"You're a lifesaver, Lana."

She snorted softly. "Just doing my job, sir."

"I'll get a search warrant for the buildings, then, and file a subpoena on...whichever Hawthorne is at Hazakura."

"...is there even precedent for subpoenaing somebody who could be somebody else?"

"Who knows."

She shrugged. "Well, in any case, I'm going to have to ask a favor."

"Of course — what do you need?"

"Ema — you remember her, right?"

Shirou chuckled. "How could I forget?" Ema Skye was Lana's little sister, and Lana had been her guardian for the last few years, after their parents had apparently passed away in a car crash. A few months ago, Lana brought Ema with her while investigating one of Shirou's cases, due to a time conflict. Somehow, the little girl had managed to find a crucial piece of evidence hidden out of sight that allowed him to pin down the criminal. He'd promised the girl a favor as thanks, which she proceeded to almost immediately cash in to have a city prosecutor as her subject of show and tell.

...wait, why did they have show and tell for seventh graders anyway?

"Her club lets out at five. Could you pick her up, since..." She motioned towards the crime scene. "I'll call ahead, make sure she and the teacher know."

"Of course. I'll bring her here, if that's fine? I need to drop off the warrant anyway."

She nodded. "That's fine." She turned, and called over the idle officers.

Shirou turned, and headed for his car.

* * *

**APRIL 11, 2019 5:00 PM**

**LOS ANGELES CENTRAL CHARTER SCHOOL**

"Hey, Mr. Emiya!" Ema practically bounced right through the door of Shirou's car. Frankly, she must have gotten in while she was blinking, because he didn't even notice the door open.

"Good evening, Ema." He sighed. "One minute."

He stepped out of the car — rather slower — and walked over towards the clearly panicked man running over to the car. "You're Miss Skye's club teacher, I assume?" he asked as the man neared.

The teacher slowed, before nodding. His head practically bounced back and forth. It looked painful. "Y-y-yes. I am — that is — well — yes! Yes, I'm Mr. Alexander. I'm a teacher here and I teach the sixth graders and I also teach some seventh graders and I also run the STEM club but we call it the forensics club because they think it's cool and — anyway, who are you and why is Ema in your car?"

Shirou almost wanted to take a breath on the man's behalf. "I'm Shirou Emiya, district prosecutor." He pulled out his wallet, and handed the man an ID card blazoned with a mugshot of his.

"You're — oh! I know you — you're that guy — the crazy one — Ema brought you for 'Bring-A-Worker-to-School-Day'!"

Oh. That was what it was called. He was flattered that Ema considered him a "worker," truly.

"Yes, that would be me. Detective Skye, her sister, requested that I pick her up. I understand Skye called?"

He nodded just as violently as before. He glanced back and forth between the ID and Shirou for a few moments before handing it back. "You look good!"

"Glad to hear that. Have a good evening, sir." He pivoted, on a dime, and cut that conversation happily short.

He walked back over to his car, and got into the driver's seat, before turning to Ema. "If that man is indicative, you've got an interesting faculty, Miss Skye."

She pulled a pencil from behind her ear and started nibbling at the eraser. "Mr. Alexander is a fun teacher. He's...a little bit eccentric, sure, but he's really interesting at Forensics Club!"

_You're calling somebody eccentric?_

Shirou eased his foot onto the accelerator, and pulled out of the parking lot well below the speed limit. A speeding prosecutor would be too ironic for his taste. "So, Mr. Emiya, is my sister busy? Are you two hot on the tails of a master thief again?"

"No, it's a murder this time, and not nearly so...colorful, unfortunately."

"Oh...she's not in danger, right?"

Shirou snorted. "I wouldn't be driving you to the scene of the crime if she was, Miss Skye."

"Wait, we're going to the scene? Great! Good thing I brought my stuff!" Shirou spared a glance at the girl. Out of...somewhere, she had pulled out a spray bottle and a small container.

"Is that...?"

"Luminol and fingerprint powder! My very own stuff!"

A gift from Lana, probably. "I appreciate the offer of aid, Miss Skye, but the area has already been swept for fingerprints and thoroughly examined for blood traces. Your sister's officers are pretty competent."

He felt bad when she visibly wilted. "Oh..." What could he do? Maybe...

"Tell you what, Miss Skye, your sister should have some new evidence by the time we return. If you can convince her to let you sweep one for fingerprints..." That was probably permission in all but name. Lana wasn't particularly good at telling her sister no.

A renewed flame burned furiously in the girl's eyes. "Ahahaha! Awesome! You'll see, Mr. Emiya, what victories can be achieved with the power of science!"

Shirou went over a speed bump rather faster than he would've liked. A rod of molten steel slid down his spine as he converted a nerve into a Magic Circuit, and fed his energy into the car's transmission. Nothing was wrong, thankfully.

He sighed. He didn't particularly find the irony funny, though he knew Kiritsugu was probably laughing his head off in wherever souls go.

* * *

**APRIL 11, 2014 5:15 PM**

**IVY UNIVERSITY**

**PHARMACOLOGY BUILDINGS**

"Ema!" Lana greeted her sister with a weary smile as Shirou and the little girl approached.

"Hey, Lana! Mr. Emiya said you're on the case of the century?"

Lana gave Shirou a look, and he just responded with a shrug and a confused smile. "I see," said Lana. "Sir...we did find something."

"Even without the warrant? Where was it?"

"There's a pool that way," she replied, pointing towards the center of the campus. "The school let us in. It was in their lost and found; apparently _somebody_ had left it in their rental locker at the end of the day."

"Or, in other words, Dahlia Hawthorne never got a chance to surreptitiously remove it all and bring it somewhere further."

He sighed. "Well, just in case..." He pulled the warrant out of his suitcase, and handed it to Lana. "Sent it to forensics yet?"

She nodded. "Here's to hoping it's something conclusive."

"Any idea when it'll be ready?"

She shook her head. "Tomorrow morning, probably around eight. Blood tests are the only thing that take longer than that..."

"And there was no blood." She nodded. "Did you sweep the locker itself for prints?"

She shook her head. "No, we're waiting on somebody to come over from forensics with supplies. They're really busy, apparently. It might be a while, if they come today at all."

Right on cue, Ema bounced into view. "**TAKE THAT!**" She pulled her fingerprint powder out of wherever she was holding it so fast that Shirou was half worried she'd hit Lana in the face.

He sighed.

"Forensics extraordinaire, Ema Skye, on the case! Not a single mystery will go unsolved, with the power of _science_!"

Lana gave Shirou a look that spoke essays - essays about how she knew exactly what deal he'd struck with the little girl, and how she was probably going to make his life a living hell once the case was over. Lana's intuition was scary. "Mr. Emiya has already given his approval?"

She nodded. "Yep! In fact, he said he was eager for me to save the case!"

"Oh, did he now?"

_No, he didn't now._

"Ab-so-lutely! I mean, nobody knows the power of science like Mr. Emiya!"

"Well, then." Lana sighed. "I suppose I can allow you to sweep it. But I'll be monitoring." It was a bit of an open secret that Lana was terrible at telling her sister no.

Ema nodded indulgently. "You don't have to lie to me, Lana. I know you want to see the power of science too!"

..._didn't Lana give her the printing set?_

"Follow me," Lana told the two of them, her voice as exasperated as it could get, and led them around several buildings until they got to the pool. An officer was standing right inside, and she motioned for him to open up the door. "The students have ID cards that they swipe to open the door."

The door swung open, and the officer saluted. "At ease," Shirou said to the saluting officer. "Are the card swipes recorded?"

"No, just checked against a database."

He sighed. "That's a security risk if I ever heard one."

She nodded. "It's an old setup, apparently." Dahlia Hawthorne was way too clever.

They approached the men's changing room, which was cordoned off with police line tape. An officer lifted it, and they stepped through the gap — Shirou and Lana ducking while Ema just passed right under without noticing — and through the doorway. Lana led them over to an open locker. "Ema." She gave a pointed look at the girl. Ema nodded, and fished around in her bag for a moment before pulling out a bag of plastic gloves. She handed two to Lana, who held it while Ema put them on backwards. To make sure her own fingerprints were on the inside, if Shirou had to guess.

After unscrewing the top, she glanced at Lana, her face showing more nervousness than Shirou could remember seeing on the little girl. Lana smiled softly. "I wouldn't have let you in here if I didn't trust you, Ema. I know you're plenty capable."

Ema brightened. "Right! Then..." Gently, the girl dipped a brush into the powder, and brushed it along the slim lock-handle of the locker. Back and forth, slowly moving outwards — "Ahah!"

"You found something?" asked Lana.

"One second..." Ema responded, biting her lip. She shuffled slightly, moving over to the opposite side of the handle. After a moment, she grinned. "Yep! Two prints!"

"On opposite sides of the handle?" Lana asked, and Ema nodded. "Thumb and pointer would be my guess." She motioned for one of the idle officers to come over, and pointed at the prints. "Have these photographed and sent to Criminal Affairs and the FBI."

"Yes, sir!"

"Officer," Shirou interjected.

"Sir?" The female officer gave him a questioning look.

"Have them earmarked for comparison to Phoenix Wright, Dahlia Hawthorne, and Melissa Foster."

"Understood, Sir!" The woman rushed off.

"...good job, Ema," Lana said, turning back to her sister. The girl beamed. "That should be quite valuable." The results wouldn't come in until tomorrow morning, if Shirou had to guess, but there would at least definitely be results, and that would be a lifesaver. If it was one of the twins' prints...that would be conclusive evidence of who was Dahlia Hawthorne and who was not.

Shirou nodded. "Yes, thank you."

She grinned, before her eyebrows furrowed. "Can I-"

He cut her off. "No, you can't come to court tomorrow. Do you want me to have to file truancy charges?"

She wilted, but Shirou did have a line. "Okay..." She bent down, to put her things back in her bag and take off the gloves, and Lana shuffled over to Shirou.

"Truancy isn't a criminal offense in California, _Shirou_," she whispered.

"Do you think anything short of criminal charges will stop an Ema on the warpath?" he whispered back. She tilted her head, then nodded.

* * *

**APRIL 11, 2014 7:22 PM**

**DETENTION CENTER**

**LOBBY**

Shirou sighed as he stepped into the lobby of the detention center. He had hoped he could get a bit more information from Wright, but the defendant was keeping strictly mum. Apparently, he was worried he'd accidentally get Dahlia in more trouble. As if she wasn't already, but Wright didn't know that.

"Mr. Emiya...?"

He glanced up to see Mia Fey, her brow furrowed. "Miss Fey," he greeted, noncommittally.

"...what was going on in court today?"

"I'm sorry?" He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You kept...covering for me, against the judge. But you still seem to be prosecuting Wright full-heartedly."

He sighed. He was rather less convinced of the clarity of his case by this point, as opposed to this morning, but... "Mr. Wright deserves a proper defense, and you clearly weren't giving one."

She frowned. "Excuse me?" There was a twinge of anger in her voice.

"Why did you take his case?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Because nobody else would defend him, obviously."

"Please don't lie to me, Miss Fey. We both know the reason you took the case."

"Really." Oh, he'd probably insulted her. That...may have not been the best tactic for convincing her. "Then, what is it?"

"_Who_, rather, is the question. And it's obviously Dahlia Hawthorne."

She recoiled, before biting her lip. "I'm simply sure she's the murderer. She's the only other possible candidate."

"No, it's more personal. Mr. Armando...he wasn't simply a coworker with an unfortunate fate. He was..." He frowned. "Well, I don't know. Mentor-and-student, romantic, or close friendship, I'm not sure what your relationship was. But it was close."

"...do you have any proof?"

"You have the facts of his poisoning incident memorized."

"Gah!" She paused, then breathed deeply. "You're right. I hate Dahlia Hawthorne. She's a murderer, and she needs to go behind bars."

"And you're willing to throw your client in there too if it means she is convicted?"

"I don't want him behind bars...but if he did help her..."

Shirou shook his head. "You need to figure out who you are as a lawyer."

"...what do you mean?"

"Every lawyer is an idealist in one way or another." He scratched the back of his neck idly. "That's what I believe, anyway. We all have faith in the law for one reason or another. Otherwise, we'd be vigilante heroes — fighting on our own terms for our own views we choose to impose on others — or...or we'd be villains. What's your ideal, Miss Fey?"

"...hmm. What's yours?"

"To create a world where nobody has to suffer. Where as many people are saved as possible." Before she could speak, he continued. "It sounds childish, doesn't it?" She nodded slowly. "It probably is. Truth be told, when I was little, I wanted to be a superhero. I wanted to stop the bad guys and save the innocent, so they could smile again."

He sighed. "Life doesn't always work out that way. I can't save everyone. It's an impossible dream. I've come to terms with that. But...I can make the world a better place. Those who do evil can be stopped, and the innocent can at least get closure. That's my ideal, that's who I am as a lawyer. Sit down, think about it, and figure out who you are."

"...I...was going to speak to my client," she replied, rather lamely. Her anger had faded at some point, and she just looked confused. She was already thinking about it, Shirou hoped.

"He's in questioning right now, and..."

"He deserves better than someone on the warpath."

Shirou nodded. "Tell you what." He reached into his bag, and pulled out his business card. He didn't give them away terribly often — nobody really needed them — but they came in handy occasionally. "Once you've figured it out, if he's still in questioning, give me a call, and I'll order the police to let you talk to him."

"...thank you, Mr. Emiya."

"Put up a good fight in court tomorrow, and no thanks are needed."


	4. Turnabout Double - Day 2 Trial Former

**I'm not a fan of this chapter. But I've been trying to get it out for a month now. Better a bad chapter than none at all.  
There will be another chapter out soon, which I'm much more confident in (and will bring this particular case to a close, thank goodness).**

**This is chapter 1 of 2 posted today.**

* * *

**APRIL 12, 2014 10:00 AM**

**LOS ANGELES DISTRICT COURT**

**COURTROOM NO. 2**

"Court is now in session for the trial of Phoenix Wright," boomed the judge. "And...this case has dragged on long enough." Presumably, he was referring to the shortened trial system. It was stupid, but the law specifically demanded that trials be quick. "Mr. Wright, Miss Fey, we will not be having any recesses today." He sighed. "Is the prosecution ready?"

"It is, Your Honor."

"And Miss Fey? Is the defense ready?"

"The defense is ready, Your Honor."

"Excellent. Mr. Emiya, your opening statement."

"Yes, Your Honor." He nodded. "Previously, Mr. Wright was believed to have committed accidental homicide. The prosecution no longer believes that to be true." He presented a photograph to the court. "Near the scene of the crime, several pieces of evidence were found. A red coat with Mr. Swallow's name on the tag and a handprint on the front and a broken plastic umbrella."

"Mr. Emiya!" exclaimed the judge. "Why were these not presented earlier?"

"They were just discovered yesterday evening. They had been put into a pool locker, in the men's changing room, and were removed at the end of the day and placed in the pool's lost and found, in accordance with pool policy."

"Well, then, Mr. Emiya, it's good these were found. I'd been wondering where all the evidence was, personally. It's not like you to be so short on evidence."

_No you hadn't. You hadn't said a thing about the evidence yesterday._ "Anyway, between this newfound evidence and a crucial testimony, the prosecution has found a far more critical possibility: Mr. Wright is guilty of conspiracy to murder."

"**OBJECTION!** Mr. Emiya, Mr. Swallow's death hasn't even been proved to be murder at all! How can you be sure there was a conspiracy?" asked Mia Fey. He smiled inwardly. Fey, evidently, had done some thinking.

"Miss Fey. As you proved yesterday, there are two people with motive to murder Mr. Swallow, are there not? Two people connected to this case, anyway."

Fey gasped. "You don't mean...?"

Shirou nodded. "It is the prosecution's belief, Your Honor, that Dahlia Hawthorne and Phoenix Wright conspired to kill Doug Swallow, and unfortunately succeeded."

"Mr. Emiya...that's quite a claim! I assume you have the proof to back it up?"

"Yes, Your Honor. Unfortunately, the crucial evidence, the forensic analysis of this evidence, has not arrived yet. Criminal Affairs has been swamped with cases recently. However, it should arrive within the next hour. In the meantime, some questions still must be resolved."

"Of course. Will you be calling a witness?"

"I will, Your Honor."

"What about the evidence, Mr. Emiya?" interjected Fey. "Shouldn't it be presented?"

"Strictly speaking, Miss Fey, it's illegal for me to present it at the moment. I don't have any proof it's connected to the case beyond my own intuition and the simple fact that they don't belong in a pool changing room."

Initial Trial evidence laws were strange, but they could be boiled down in almost all cases to a simple rule: "All evidence must be approved by Criminal Affairs, unless relevancy to the case at hand can be proven by the presenting lawyer." It was simple, effective, and gave space for defense attorneys to do their own, separate investigations. It was also a pain in the neck when Criminal Affairs was busy.

"As a courtesy to the court," Shirou continued, "I wanted to present them. Surprise evidence is dangerous to obtaining a correct verdict, I find."

"That is appreciated, Mr. Emiya. Now, your witness."

"Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution calls Miss...Hawthorne, to the stand." Shirou coughed. He hadn't decided how to address the twins. "The one with red hair dye, bailiff."

As the bailiff ran off, the judge gave him a look. "Mr. Emiya. Could you explain?"

He shook his head. "Your Honor, the witness will do a much better job, I believe."

"If you insist..."

The bailiff walked in, with Hawthorne that had been in court yesterday at his side. She walked up to the witness stand.

"Witness, your name and occupation."

"My name is...Iris of Hazakura. I'm a nun."

"...what?" asked Mia Fey.

"...what!" asked the judge. The audience started talking. After a moment, the judge slammed his gavel. "Order! Order!" After a minute or so, the court quieted. "Mr. Emiya! Is this not the witness from yesterday?"

"It is, Your Honor."

"Then why has she introduced herself differently?"

"Witness?"

Iris nodded. "...Dahlia is...my twin sister. She...she asked me to take her place yesterday." She glanced down at the witness' stand. "She wanted to frame me for her crimes, I think."

The judge frowned. "How unusual. Do you have proof that this is indeed the same witness as yesterday, Mr. Emiya? Her demeanor is...rather different, to say the least." It wasn't dramatic, but it was definitely obvious. Dahlia was demure, but — Shirou glanced at the woman at the witness stand — Iris looked like she wanted to be literally anywhere other than right in everybody's sight. _Poor girl._

Shirou nodded. "Her fingerprints were taken this morning. We have her prints on file for yesterday, so this is definitely the same woman. Presumably, Your Honor, that was an act, meant to make her seem more like her sister."

"That's a reasonable theory, Mr. Emiya. Miss Fey? Do you have any input on Mr. Emiya's theory?"

She put her hand to her mouth, covering it as she mulled over the theory. "Mr. Emiya, you said that the fingerprints were compared and found identical. But didn't you say that forensic analysis at Criminal Affairs was slow?"

The Judge nodded. "That is an important contradiction. Mr. Emiya?"

"They were compared visually by the bailiff." He stepped out of his bench for a moment to put the three papers on the evidence table. "The prosecution submits yesterday's fingerprints, the current witness' fingerprints from this morning, and the witness' sister's fingerprints to the court."

The judge nodded. "Accepted into evidence."

"Miss Fey, if you'd like to examine?" Copies have been sent to forensics for comparison, and the Prosecution will of course submit the forensic affidavit once it arrives, but it's clear that the sister's fingerprints are different than the other two."

As Shirou returned to his bench, she walked over to the table, and examined the papers. After a moment, she put them down. "The defense has no objections, Your Honor."  
"Very well. Would you like to cross-examine, Miss Fey?"

"Of course, Your Honor." She walked back behind her bench. "Miss Iris. You claimed in your testimony that Miss Hawthorne wanted to frame you for her crimes. Leaving aside questions of speculation on the part of the witness," began Fey. "You're referring to the poisoning incident last August, correct?"

Iris nodded. "That was...actually her justification. She said she didn't do anything, but she was harassed anyway. She said it was a traumatic, scary event for her, and told me...she was scared of returning to the courthouse."

"Assuming Dahlia's innocence in the poisoning, it's a believable response," Shirou said. "She saw a man she was talking to shortly before, dead. Instead of getting support in such a circumstance, she was suspected of murder."

Iris nodded. "I believed her."

"You believe she was lying?" asked the defense attorney.

"Yesterday...in court, you raised all those points, Miss Fey. About how my sister was obviously guilty."

That...that was important. Not really the points Fey made — they were fairly weak; he was being honest when he told her to shape up — but the woman's appraisal of them.

That meant one of two things. Either they were intimidating enough and strong enough to scare the witness, which was possible, but he personally doubted it.

Or they were correct, and the witness he had called knew it.

He tapped his fingers on his desk a few times, a nervous tic he'd developed over the years to help him think. "Fey's argument yesterday was awful, therefore the witness is hiding something," wasn't going to hold up. He needed something decisive.

...who was he kidding? There was no chance in the world that the case would come down to anything other than those fingerprints.

Iris continued. "It was the...only possible conclusion. She never told me...about Mr. Fawles...or..." She drifted off.

It didn't line up. . Did she say something different yesterday? He couldn't remember precisely.

Could he, in good faith, prosecute the other twin? He needed to...he needed to distract the court. Give time for Lana to arrive. Then he'd know the guilty party. What to do, then... "Miss Fey, do you have any more questions for the witness...?"

She shook her head. "I do not." Her expression was unreadable. He'd been right to see a competent defense attorney underneath that anger from yesterday.

"Then, I ask the witness to testify about...uh..." About...? He...

...had nothing. He swallowed. He would have to bring the other twin to the stand; the ends, hopefully, would justify the means.

That was his job as a prosecutor. Pursuit of justice. At _all _costs. He almost chuckled. Evidently Mia Fey wasn't the only person who had to face the truth about being a lawyer.

"About?"

"Never mind, Your Honor. The prosecution calls up the woman now identified as Dahlia Hawthorne to the witness stand."

The bailiff led Iris out, and brought in the other twin. The young woman stepped up to the witness stand, looking - just like her sister did - like she was a single summer's breeze from blowing away. He steeled his heart. He couldn't allow himself to feel an ounce of empathy, not yet, or the true killer would never be caught. He...would never be Kiritsugu Emiya, but he was his father's son, through and through.

"Witness, your name and occupation, please."  
The girl nodded almost imperceptibly. "I am...Dahlia Hawthorne..." _What_.

What? Shirou's eyes grew wide. _Why would she claim she's Dahlia? She has to know that Dahlia's under suspicion!_

"What?" asked Fey. "You're not going to claim you're also Iris?"

"Miss...I...would not want...to lie in court..."

"That..." Shirou searched for the words. "Is commendable, Miss Hawthorne. Your occupation?"

"Student, sir."

The judge nodded, apparently having not realized what Fey and Shirou had. "Very well. Mr. Emiya?"

"Yes, Your Honor." He sighed, collecting his thoughts. "Miss Hawthorne, were you at the scene of the death of Doug Swallow?"

The girl visibly swallowed. "Yes...sir. I...was..." He blinked, and Dahlia's expression completely changed to...he couldn't tell. The flame in her eyes and her low, pained eyebrows rather contradicted each other. "I was there at the death — the killing. That's because I murdered Doug Swallow."

* * *

**APRIL 12, 2014 10:25 AM**

**LOS ANGELES DISTRICT COURT**

**COURTROOM NO. 2**

"Dollie!" screamed Wright, breaking the utter silence that had descended upon the courthouse. "Stop! That's nonsense, you'd never murder anybody!"

The judge slammed his gavel down. "Silence, defendant!"

Dahlia turned to Wright. "Feenie...I'm sorry, but..." She looked back up at the judge, and Shirou could see her eyes steel. "I killed Doug Swallow of my own free will, by electrocution, using the dangling wire. He knew I'd stolen poison from the pharmaceuticals lab, and I couldn't led him live. Phoenix Wright was only involved in having pushed him some time before; Phoenix was not there for the murder, and had no part in it."

Shirou clenched his fist below the desk. She was lying. He could feel it. But there was no proof. It...all made sense. The only thing that didn't was why she was confessing, but...that didn't really matter, did it? _Think, Emiya, think._

"No! That's...!" Wright looked like his world was crumbling around him.

...was his girlfriend trying to take the fall? That didn't sound anything like what he knew of Dahlia, but...frankly, did anybody actually know anything about what the Hawthorne sisters were like at this point?

"Mr. Emiya...Feenie happened upon me looking over the body of Mr. Swallow...could you ask him to testify about that?"

There was _more_ the defendant was hiding?

"Your Honor?" He glanced at the judge, keeping his face calm. Procrastinate, procrastinate, procrastinate. He needed to get Lana here, then there'd be an actual answer.  
"I'll allow it," replied the judge.

"No!" shouted Wright, standing up. "I refuse to testify! Dollie didn't do a thing-!"

"Mr. Wright...no, Phoenix," spoke Fey. She gave her client a look, a sympathetic one. "She didn't murder Doug, right?"

Wright nodded furiously. "Of course not!"  
Fey smiled. "Then trust me. I'll find the holes in your testimony."

Dahlia glanced at the defense attorney, before looking at Wright. "I'm...sorry, Feenie. But...please, do it for me."

Wright pursed his lips. "...alright...I'll testify."

The bailiff led Dahlia out of the room, while another brought Wright up to the stand. As the bailiff did so, Shirou noticed Grossberg come in and whisper something to Fey.

"Defendant," Shirou said, "please state again for us your name and occupation." Maybe he couldn't do much else, but he could at least ask that.

"Phoenix Wright, student."

"Could you tell us about when you encountered Miss Dahlia Hawthorne on the day of the murder?"

"...she was standing over the body."

"You mean, Doug Swallow's?" Shirou asked.

He nodded. "Doug, yeah. At first I thought...well, that I'd killed him. Accidentally. He was just lying there, looking just like when I saw him earlier except dead. But he was nowhere near the telephone pole that I'd pushed him into. So...either he crawled over there, or I didn't do it."

Shirou nodded. "The autopsy report does not indicate recent abrasions of the fingers, knees, or even clothes, so him crawling is highly unlikely."

"Then...I realized Dollie was there. Dahlia, I mean. I mean...she looked like Dahlia..."

"'Looked like Dahlia'?" Shirou echoed. "Explain."

"She was dressed like Dahlia, and looked like Dahlia...but she...she couldn't have been Dollie. She was...a mixture of smug and angry, I guess. I've never seen Dollie be either..."

_That's not exactly solid proof_. "Did she say anything?"

"...just...'What are you doing here?'"

"**OBJECTION!**" interrupted Fey. "This is hearsay."

"Objection sustained," replied the judge. "Mr. Emiya, please refrain from asking for hearsay."

"Yes, Your Honor," he said absently, while staring at Mia Fey. Had she figured out something he hadn't? Well, that probably wasn't a bad thing. "What happened afterwards, Mr. Wright?"

"I ran away. I was...scared of Dollie...actually."

"And this was when you were found by the students?" Wright nodded. "Very well. No further questions."

"Miss Fey, your cross-examination?" asked the judge.

"Yes, Your Honor." She turned to her client. "You said that the body was 'just like earlier.' Are you certain of this?"

"Yes...?"

"Was he holding anything?" Oh. _Oh. _How had he missed that...? That was the purpose of a cross-examination, he supposed.

Wright shook his head. "No. He'd fallen. How could he-"

"**OBJECTION!**" cried Fey, interrupting Wright. "He was found holding a medicine bottle." She presented the bottle to the court. "This is a blatant _contradiction! _Therefore, the defendant is lying!"

Shirou sighed, before shaking his head. "Not so, Miss Fey. Perhaps Miss Hawthorne simply put it in Swallow's hand after Wright left."

"But for what purpose?"

"...presumably, it would be to frame Mr. Wright."

"But why? Hawthorne has testified that she killed Swallow, and that Phoenix was not involved. What would be the purpose of framing him?"

Shirou drummed his fingers. "What do you think, then? Tell me, why would your client lie?"

"...but, I'm not!" Wright said before Fey could reply. "There really was no medicine bottle!"

"You're certain of this, defendant?" asked the Judge.

"Yes, Your Honor."

Shirou nodded, before sighing. It fit the facts, it fit Dahlia's testimony, and it fit his intuition on Wright. Dahlia Hawthorne was guilty. "Your Honor, in light of this corroborating testimony to Miss Hawthorne's, the prosecution would like to formally indict Miss Hawthorne for the murder of-"

"**HOLD IT! **My cross-examination is not yet over. I have one more question. Mr. Wright...what was Mr. Swallow wearing?" Was she...? She was bluffing, definitely, but...oh. That was brilliant.

"A...a, uh, a jacket, I think. The same one he had been wearing when we met."

_Mia Fey, you lovely lady you._ "Mr. Wright, was it by any chance a red leather jacket?"

"Yes...?"

"May it please the court, I would like to present evidence." Shirou presented a photograph to the court. "**TAKE THAT! **As mentioned before, several items were found in a locker near the campus pool, including a jacket. A red leather jacket. This seems like justification for entering the evidence, does it not, Your Honor?"

The judge nodded. "Yes. The photo is accepted into evidence."

"Your Honor, I ask that a recess be called to wait for the physical evidence to arrive. It would be irresponsible to continue the trial without it."

"...I'm sorry, Mr. Emiya, but it would be irresponsible to call a recess."

"What?" muttered Shirou.

"What...?" asked Fey.

"...well." Grossberg finally spoke. "Your Honor, are you referencing the Initial Trial law?"  
"I am, Mr. Grossberg. As I mentioned, we are under the obligation to end this trial as soon as possible. We are, after all, not the court of sentencing. We are simply here to see if the prosecution's case has merit."

That was...well, it was theoretically true. Shirou would formally prosecute in another court whoever was found guilty here. But...

If it went past here, it was virtually guaranteed that the verdict would be passed. And the defense attorneys for those courts...were not the type that could win any case, even one Shirou was actively trying to lose. He would have to find the truth here, or not at all.

"...I understand." turned to Mia. He opened his mouth, before pausing, closing it, and turning to Wright. "Mr. Wright, you have two options. Either Miss Hawthorne is found guilty, or you plead guilty."

"...that's ludicrous...!" Shirou muttered. "Your Honor! This is a blatant miscarriage of justice!"

"It's the law. I said it earlier - there would be no recesses."

...he'd forgotten. A woman was going to go to jail without due cause because he'd not been able to extend the trial enough, because of a random comment by the judge he'd forgotten.

"Mr. Emiya, Miss Fey, do you have any other points to make? If not, I'm ready to hand down my verdict."

He could see Fey swallow. "...no, Your Honor." She turned to the witness stand, and bowed her head. "Mr. Wright, it's your choice."

"Mr. Emiya?"

"...I...I do not..." How had this trial gone so wrong?

"Very well. Then, I proclaim the defendant, Mr. Phoenix Wright, Not-"

"**OBJECTION!**" shouted Wright. "Guilty! I plead guilty! Dollie didn't do it!"

No. _No. _A guilty plea - as opposed a witness claiming guilt - would send a defendant straight to jail; Shirou wouldn't be allowed to prosecute. That was a basic provision of the law - one even Wright no doubt knew. A _definitely _innocent man would _definitely _go to jail.

_I want to save everybody...I don't want anyone to cry. _That was Shirou's ideal. He...he wouldn't let anybody suffer if he could.

Not for the first time, he mourned that he wasn't able to use his Magecraft to save people. _Is there anything I could do...? _He wracked his brain, searching through the years he'd been in law.

...there was, actually, possibly, something, if they judge would allow it. "**OBJECTION! **The prosecution moves for _nolle prosequi. _The prosecution refuses to continue its erroneous indictment of Phoenix Wright."

"...this trial has gone too far for that, Mr. Emiya. I am not certain, but...I am certain enough to pass this on to the superior court. The court refuses your motion, Mr. Emiya."

Of course not. Could he - anything else? Anything? Could he...use his Magecraft? Could he shatter the desk with reinforcement? He'd done it with other things...accidentally, sure, but he could probably do it intentionally. That would be justification to at least pause the trial until they investigated. If he revealed Magecraft...well, he'd live with the consequences if London came for him.  
He closed his eyes, reaching into the desk in his mind's eye as his spine erupted in pain. "Trace, on..." he mumbled.

The judge sighed. "Are you certain, Mr. Wright?"

"...I am, Your Honor."

"...very well." He sighed. "For what it's worth, Mr. Wright, I'm sorry. But it's the law. I proclaim the defendant, Mr. Phoenix Wright-"

The doors slammed open, and Shirou's focus was shattered. And then he glanced up, and realized that he didn't need it.

The bright sunlight streaming in behind cast the woman's face into shadow, but it was clear enough she was exhausted. Nevertheless, her brow furrowed in focus was obvious, as was the luggage case hanging at her side.

_Lana!_

"**OBJECTION!**"


	5. Turnabout Double - Day 2 Trial Latter

**This is chapter 2 of 2 posted today.**

* * *

**APRIL 12, 2014 10:45 AM**

**LOS ANGELES DISTRICT COURTHOUSE**

**COURTROOM NO. 2**

"Your Honor!" Shirou shouted. "Please hold the verdict. The prosecution calls Detective Lana Skye as a witness."

The judge nodded. "Of course."

Lana all but shoved her way past the bailiff and onto the witness stand. "Witness, your name and occupation."

"Lana Skye. I'm a detective at the precinct."  
She put the case she was carrying down on the stand, before sighing. "Forgive my lateness, Your Honor. The police cars were all out, I had to run." What the heck _was_ going on at Criminal Affairs...?

"You ran that far, Miss Skye? Well, your dedication is appreciated. Now, I assume you have something to present?"

"I do." She opened up the case, and drew out the red jacket. "Your Honor, this jacket was found in a locker in the pool on Ivy University's campus. It has Mr. Swallow's name on the tag, and has a clear handprint on the front from an impact blow." She showed the front of the jacket, where the handprint stood out clearly. "The print would have required a fairly strong hit, enough to likely stagger a grown man."

That would be the fight relating to Dahlia that Wright had attested to, Shirou imagined.

"Additionally, it has several fingerprints. Mostly Mr. Swallow's, for obvious reasons. However, Mr. Wright's appear in the handprint, and another set appear on the sleeves. They have been matched to fingerprints found on the locker itself."

"Mr. Wright's fingerprints were not found anywhere else?"

"No, sir. Just the handprint."

"What about the other fingerprints?"

"They had one match in our database - a witness from a case about a year ago named Dahlia Hawthorne."

"No...no...!" Wright's eyes were widened. "Dollie...!"

_I'm sorry, Wright. _Shirou had seen some pretty messed up things - and lived some - but finding out your girlfriend murdered somebody still ranked in Shirou's book as impressively bad. "And the fingerprints the bailiff sent over earlier?"

She pulled out a copy, which the glance Shirou got revealing it to look mostly like the one he'd presented earlier. "The one labeled 'Iris of Hazakura' matches with the one for Dahlia Hawthorne yesterday, and with Dahlia Hawthorne's previous prints."

"...Iris?" asked Shirou.

Lana nodded. "A photo was attached, showing her as having black hair and currently dressed in Japanese-style religious clothes."

"...Mr. Emiya...what does this mean?"

"I don't know, Your Honor...but I intend to find out, if it pleases the court. Lana, was there anything else?"

"The umbrella had 'Iris' fingerprints as well, but there was nothing notable about it that we could find. It was flimsy enough that we have no idea what broke it."

"...alright. Thank you." Shirou took a deep breath. "Your Honor, the prosecution asks that the defendant's plea be seen as made under duress and invalid. Additionally, it submits the evidence brought by the detective to the court."

The judge nodded. "Recognized, and accepted into evidence

"Thank you, Your Honor. Now, the prosecution calls up the woman who identifies herself as Dahlia to the stand. We need to examine her claim of guilt, I believe." He paused. "The one with black hair, bailiff."

Lana stepped off the stand and out of the room. After a moment, he heard a pointed cough, and looked to see Lana in the seats behind him, an amused smile on her lips.

The bailiff came back in, with whoever-it-was walking beside. The woman stepped up to the stand.

"Witness, please state your name and occupation once more for the court." He paused. "And remember_. _Lying is perjury, a crime."

"...my name is Dahlia Hawthorne. I'm a student."

"Hmm. And you maintain your claim of guilt?"

"...I do."

Shirou frowned. "Miss Hawthorne, please give a full recount of the events of the murder."

'Dahlia' bit her lip. "I saw Feenie and Doug talking, and I realized that Doug was telling him about the suspicion I was under for the poisoning. I couldn't let him do that, so when I saw him fallen on the ground, and Feenie was gone, I took the broken electrical cable and pushed it against his skin. Just after, Feenie came back. I had borrowed his medicine earlier, so I tried to scare him off before planting it on Doug's body. That was all."

"You're certain no further events happened?"

"...I am. That is all that happened."

Shirou gave her a look. "Then you're a liar." He presented the jacket. "**TAKE THAT!"**

The woman blinked. "What's...what's that...?"

"This is Doug Swallow's jacket. It was removed off of his dead body, and hid. If you were the murderer, you would have known that."

Her eyes widened. "But-but-but-uh..." She blinked several times, her shoulders visibly tense. "I...I...I simply forgot! I was flustered, and quickly hid it nearby."

Shirou shook his head. "Nearby? It was in the pool locker room. You couldn't have simply hid it quickly and forgotten it...and anyway, why would you?"

"I-I-I..."

"I'm sorry, Miss, but you are lying to the court. If you tell me the truth, I can guarantee you that things will be better."

She was quite for several moments. "...I can't."

Shirou sighed. "Your Honor, may I present a theory to the court?"

"Go ahead, Mr. Emiya. Please explain! I'm lost."

"You're being blackmailed, aren't you, Witness? Your sister has something over you, forcing you to obey her. A patsy and a perfect copy who can't disobey? That sounds...like a perfect tool for a murderer to use."

"...no...Mr. Emiya. I'm not being blackmailed. I...only have one secret, and nobody else knows it."

"I can't say I believe you...but I don't have any proof." Yet. "Miss Fey, do you have any questions?"

She shook her head. "No."

The judge looked at Shirou. "Are you calling another witness?"

"I am. The prosecution calls...the other twin to the stand."

The bailiff hurried off, escorting probably-actually-Iris out. Probably-Dahlia came in the same as before, until she looked over at the defense bench. Evidentially, Fey's furious glare spilled the beans. Any semblance of niceness vanished from the woman's face. "...she blabbed, didn't she?" The hostility was palpable.

"You left too much evidence, actually. Your name and occupation, witness."

She laughed. "No reason to hide it, I suppose. Dahlia Hawthorne, student."

"You committed perjury earlier by lying about your identity. What do you have to say about that?" Shirou asked.

"Is that relevant to the trial at hand? I mean, my lying didn't cause Doug Swallow to die." She smirked. "Phoenix Wright did."

"_What?_" Shirou exclaimed. "That's ludicrous. It hasn't seriously been considered by this court all day. Do you have any proof?"

"Do you have any proof I murdered Swallow? Moreover...I do indeed have proof."

"You do...?" _What was with the evidence in this trial!?_

"Of course. How about that king of the courtroom...a photograph?"

"A-a-a...a photograph? Witness!" the Judge demanded. "Present it immediately!"

"Gladly." She pulled out of...somewhere...a photograph negative, and the bailiff ran it over to the judge.

"Well...accepted into evidence, I suppose." The bailiff ran off with it, presumably to make positives. After a few moments, Shirou, the Judge, and Fey were each handed a photograph.

It showed Wright standing over Swallow's body, limp and lax, on the ground. And right above Swallow's body...was the dangling electric cord.

He couldn't dispute the legality of the evidence - it was connected to the case, clearly - but...even if he could do it legally, he couldn't do it morally.

He had no doubt Dahlia Hawthorne was a criminal. But...evidently, so was Wright. And he would not let a murderer go free and put people in more danger, his instincts on Wright's innocence be damned. He'd get some answers, though, because he wouldn't let an innocent man suffer either.

"Why then, Miss Hawthorne, were your fingerprints found on the evidence?"

"The evidence?"

"The evidence. **TAKE THAT!**" He presented the jacket. "Your fingerprints were found on Doug Swallow's jacket."

"Oh." She blinked, before she furrowed her brows and bowed her head. "...he...he demanded...he demanded I help him! He told me to hide the evidence while he ran...and he was so scary...I just..."

"W-w-w-what...?" mumbled Wright. It did seem mighty convenient an explanation, but...well, he couldn't disprove it, and it made more sense than..._no_, no it didn't.

"Mr. Emiya...?" asked the judge. "Do you have any objections to that testimony...?"

Shirou nodded. "Ignore her, Mr. Wright. I do, Your Honor."

"...what...?" Dahlia grit her teeth, before freezing and returning to her "demure" expression.

"You say you were intimidated, and hid the evidence because of that? That's..._ridiculous._" He presented the medicine bottle to the court. "**TAKE THAT! **If you were hiding the evidence because of fear, you would not have missed a piece of evidence _that belonged to him!_"

"I...I..." A flash of fury ran through her face, but Shirou didn't let up. If it was just that, then it was reasonable that she'd left it to make sure Wright got justice. But it certainly wasn't.

"And this photograph...? I have my suspicions. After all, in this photo, rigor mortis has not yet set in." He pointed to the fingers. "As you can see, there is no tension in the body."

"...your point, Mr. Emiya?" asked the judge.

"If Doug Swallow had been holding the medicine bottle when he died, it would have rolled away! Since we found it on the body, it had to have been put there!"

"...what does this mean...?"

"Your Honor, may I examine the master copy of this photograph?"

"The negative? I suppose, Mr. Emiya..."

Shirou stepped out from behind the bench, and walked over to where the negative was kept. If it had been digital, he would have been out of luck...but it wasn't. He closed his eyes, and touched the negative with a single finger. _Trace, on._

His Magical Energy ran through his fingertip, and into the photo. _Analyzing._ As he allowed his senses to explore the photograph, he spoke aloud. "Miss Hawthorne...I understand you are a photographer by hobby. This...isn't the first murder case you've taken a photo for, right?" Unlike with swords, he couldn't see the history behind the things he analyzed. He didn't really need it, though. Just a superhuman view. "Didn't you say that a photo was king?"

"I seem to remember differently about your last photo, frankly," came Mia Fey's voice.

"It's a very good photo. A nice angle, a nice amount of light..."

And then he found an outline in the film. A decidedly artificial outline.

**RIGHT THERE!**

"...and an excellent edit job."

"You...Impossible...!"

"You had it commissioned? I can't see anybody being able to do this without powerful technology. Even so...I think Criminal Affairs will find this to be a _forgery._"

"...Emiya..." Dahlia practically spat. "I should've known. It's not a coincidence at all...is it, _Magus Killer_?"

...how did...she know that title...? *_He* _barely knew that title, and it was Kiritsugu's! "I...don't know what you're talking about."

He blinked, and any fury in her gaze suddenly vanished. "Well, it can't be helped." She smiled. "I wouldn't trust this 'prosecutor' if I were you, Mia Fey." The scare quotes around the job name were almost audible.

"Thankfully, you're not."

"Your funeral. And, Mr. _Emiya..._keep an eye on your back. They may be nice and kind in your backwater, but here..._they _never leave survivors. Your father probably would have had the time of his life around here.

"...Mr. Emiya...? What is the witness talking about...?"

Shirou blinked for a moment, before going with the first believable technically-not-a-lie he could come up with. "My father was...involved in a dangerous international group. Like a cult," he 'explained' at the judge's confused look. "I don't know much about it, though...or how the witness does...but it's not really relevant, Your Honor."

"...very well."

"Witness, could you explain what is keeping your sister from speaking?"

She pursed her lips. "Well, there's nothing to benefit from keeping silent, I suppose." That wasn't true - he couldn't indict Hawthorne while her sister's claim of guilt stood, as clearly false as it was - but he wouldn't dissuade her of the notion. "She betrayed me, didn't help with my plan, and apparently blames herself for me being..."

"A murderer?" asked Fey.

"Pretty much. She's a stupid girl. Dated a stupid guy, too."

"...huh?" asked, of all people, Wright.

"Know how you dated me for months? Well, you didn't. No, we barely ever met...that was Iris you were _in love_ with." Her voice was mocking, mind-bogglingly s. "Impressive. You didn't even know her real name."

The poor man flinched, but was wordless.  
"Enough, witness." Shirou ordered. "Bailiff, summon Iris of Hazakura."

And finally, finally, they were on the last step of the trial. The step where the truth could heal.  
The step that was the reason he was a lawyer.  
"Witness, your name and occupation."

"...Dah-"

"Witness!" he interjected. "Do not try to claim that you are Dahlia Hawthorne! We have proof that you are not her. There are many people in the world who you could be, but the fingerprints are clear. You are not Dahlia Hawthorne."

"Mr. Emiya...I am who I am."

"...Dollie..." came a quiet, clearly defeated voice. "Or...whoever you are...please...just...the truth. If...Dahlia is a killer...please don't protect her."

The courtroom sat in utter silence for at least a minute. Finally, Iris' voice broke the silence. "...I am Iris of Hazakura, a nun."

"Did you kill Doug Swallow?" asked Shirou.

"...I did not."

"Why did you claim to be Dahlia Hawthorne?"

"I...I wanted to repay my sins. My sin of letting Dahlia become who she is."

Dahlia scoffed from the side. "If you think that you of all people made me who I am, you're stupider than I thought."

Shirou ignored her. "So you confess to obstructing justice by hiding your identity?"

"I do."

"Very well. Your Honor, the prosecution would like to formally indict Miss Dahlia Hawthorne for the murder of Mr. Doug Swallow, and for obstruction of justice. The prosecution would also like to indict Miss Iris of Hazakura for obstruction of justice."

"Recognized, Mr. Emiya."

"No further questions."

"Miss Fey?" asked the judge.

"No, Your Honor."

The judge sighed. "This case became far more complicated than I expected, and I think it shows several flaws in our new court system. But the truth has finally been found. As such, I hereby pronounce the defendant, Mr. Phoenix Wright...**NOT GUILTY. **That is all. Court is adjourned."

* * *

**APRIL 12, 2014 1:23 PM**

**LOS ANGELES PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE**

**SHIROU EMIYA'S OFFICE**

"Thanks for your help in court today," Shirou said to Lana without looking up from his desk as she came in and sat on one of the chairs. All the paperwork was without a doubt his least favorite part of the job, but it was needed. "It got close there."

"Sorry about that." Shirou waved off the apology — it wasn't her fault by any means — and she sighed. "It's a mess at the precinct. I'll be on the case in a couple of hours, myself. It's almost ridiculous."

"What's going on?"

"A mass murder. A dozen dead. The suspect is a blind, wheelchair-bound woman."

Shirou looked up, and blinked. "How does that work?"

"Exactly. But there's nobody else who possibly could have done it."

"Strange."

Lana nodded. After a moment of silence, Shirou went back to his paperwork. The jury trials were practically systematized; the transcript of the initial trial was read out to the jury, the evidence was presented, both lawyers read a speech, and then the jury 'deliberated' — which is to say, chose guilty almost invariably. As the prosecutor on the case, Shirou would need to coordinate that for both Hawthorne sisters, which meant a lot of writing and a lot of memos.

It had been a couple of minutes — presumably, Lana had been doing something, though he hadn't checked what — when the door slammed open. Shirou glanced up. A police officer, a woman, stood in the door.

"Sir!" She saluted, first to Shirou and then to Lana once she noticed the detective.

"Come in, officer," he replied, motioning for them to come towards the desk. "What do you need?"

"It's a memo from the Chief of Police, sir." She handed a manila envelope to Shirou. "A case for you to prosecute."

Shirou furrowed his brow. "Very well. Thank you, officer." She saluted again, before turning and walking quickly out.

"That's...a bit odd. Doesn't the Chief Prosecutor usually assign cases?"

"We can request them, but yes. I imagine it's a case the Chief of Police wants me to request. Unusual, but not unheard of. I certainly have some time until I try the Hawthornes." He opened up the envelope, and pulled out the papers. "It's a murder case." He skimmed over the information. "Victim...wait, _victims_? It's a...mass murder." He looked at Lana, and her face echoed his doubt that this was in any way a coincidence. He glanced at the suspect information. "It's definitely the same case. Assuming, of course, you were talking about the murder of Secondo Ner and his family?"  
"That's the one."

He bit his lip. He recognized that name, though they'd never met. More importantly, though, he recognized the name of the suspect.

"The suspect is a Japanese national; I assume it's a diplomatic reason." He reread the name of the suspect, to make sure he hadn't made a mistake. He hadn't...and, frankly, he could believe she would kill the Ner family. It was a good thing the Chief had chosen him. Any other prosecutor would be in grave danger.

...he would be, too, but he could handle it. Pity, though, that Dahlia was right.

"Ever heard of the suspect before?"

Shirou nodded. "We've met, actually, as far as I can tell. Unless there's another of her name from my hometown."

"Huh." She sighed. "I'm assuming you'd like my help?"

"If you're going to be on the case anyway, I'd appreciate it."

Lana nodded. "I'll call Chief, run it by him, but I doubt there will be any problems."

"That's good to hear." After all, he was going to be prosecuting a Magus. He needed somebody he trusted to watch his back.

Especially when he was prosecuting the 'Genius of the East' herself. The same genius who had forced him to flee his home.

Blazoned in san-serif font on the paper was a name he knew far, far too well.

"SUSPECT: 遠坂 凛," it read. And then, in Latin characters: "TŌSAKA RIN."


End file.
